February 2012

02/29/2012

In one of the official wedding photos, some of the intricate work on Kate's dress can be seen. Joining her in the photo (besides the groom Prince William) are Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Eliza Lopes, Grace van Cutsem, Lady Louise Windsor, Tom Pettifer and William Lowther-Pinkerton. (AP Photo/Hugo Burnand, Clarence House)

It’s been 10 months since the royal wedding, but Kate Middleton hasn’t forgotten about the frenzy of preparation that was going on this time last year.

This week, she paid a special -- and secret -- visit to a group of women who toiled more than most to make sure her day went off without a hitch. Or the slip of a stitch.

About 30 staff from the Royal School of Needlework met the Duchess of Cambridge, who dropped by their quarters at Hampton Court Palace to say thanks to the embroiderers who worked on her wedding gown.

“Catherine was keen to express her gratitude in person to the women who worked so hard on her dress,” one royal insider told the Telegraph. “She was very conscious of the pressure that they were under.”

The school, whose mandate is to teach and spread the art of hand embroidery, were responsible for the lace appliqué. Using an old Irish lace-making technique, Chantilly lace and English Cluny lace were used to create designs of rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock, which were hand-cut and individually sewn on the ivory silk tulle.

It was pain-staking work. The women had to wash their hands every half hour to keep the material clean and needles were changed every three hours to ensure they were clean and sharp. Even then, they were kept in the dark about who was actually designing the dress (Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen), until the dress was unveiled to the world on April 29.

“It was lovely to meet the Duchess of Cambridge and to show her what the Royal School of Needlework does,” said Susan Kay-Williams, the school’s chief executive.

The cost of the dress was been estimated at about $62,000.

Susan Kay-Williams, left, with some of the embroiderers from the Royal School of Needlework who worked on Kate Middleton's wedding dress at Hampton Court Palace. (Getty Images)

QUEEN PUTS ON HER GAMES FACE

The last time Queen Elizabeth opened an Olympic Games, Montreal got stuck with stadium that took taxpayers about 30 years to pay off.

Not that we're blaming her, or suggesting it might happen again for London's Olympic extravaganza this summer. But with a budget that has ballooned to about $15 billion, it would be wise to keep an eye on the bottom line.

As expected, it has been announced that the Queen and Prince Philip will officially open the London Games on July 27 at the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium. The Queen's last brush with the Games was opening the 1976 Games in Montreal (right), where her daughter Anne was competing in equestrian events.

The last time the Games were held in London, in 1948, it was Elizabeth's father, King George VI, who performed the opening day honours.

Queen Elizabeth II kisses her cousin Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester on Tuesday as she and Prince Philip arrive at the central gates of Buckingham Palace. As part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, she unveiled the first commemorative Jubilee Greenway Disc on a 60km walking and cyling route linking the West End of London with the East End. (Getty Images)

02/28/2012

De Montford University students (from left) Mei Chun Lai, Kay Yeng Cheng, Summer Spencer, Sam Sawkill, Tabatha Duffield and Becka Hunt show off their designs that will be judged by the Duchess of Cambridge. (Facebook)

The students of De Montfort University are definitely putting their best foot forward for a royal visit next week.

And their best shoes.

Queen Elizabeth and her newest sidekick, granddaughter-in-law Catherine, will be visiting the university in Leicester as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee visits.

One of the highlights is expected to be Kate judging the work of six students from the footwear design program, whose task -- on a suggestion from the university -- was to design a pair of shoes fit for a duchess. The winner will have their shoes transformed into a real pair that will become part of the shoe tree from which the Duchess of Cambridge plucks her footwear.

Sort of "Cinderella," in reverse.

After more than 100 submissions, the school has whittled down the list to six finalists. The students' designs seem to draw on several themes, from flowers, to dragons, to tartan plaid. (Pick your favourite at right).

“When asked who their first commission was for at their first job interview, they will be able to reply: ‘The Duchess of Cambridge, the world’s leading fashion icon,’” said Dominic Shellard, the university’s vice-chancellor.

The visit will be significant, too, for the fact that it marks the first time Kate and the Queen will be sharing the public stage at the same time (post-wedding). You can expect that the Duchess will keep a respectable distance.

"The excitement and anticipation felt around our campus since this visit was announced is a measure of the great affection our students and staff have for the Queen," said Shellard.

The visit to Leicester will be full of presents for their royal visitors.

The Queen will be leaving with a picture of a Corgi -- her favourite dog breed -- judged to be the best from among primary school students, as well as a scarf designed by De Mongtfort textiles student. The Duke of Edinburgh will be given a 3D image of himself driving a horse and carriage.

02/27/2012

The continuing tragic story of Prince Friso has another sad, ironic twist.

As attention turns to the long-term care of the Dutch royal — who remains in a coma after being buried in an avalanche Feb. 17 — it has been revealed that there is no facility in his native Netherlands that can even take care of him.

There is only one facility in The Netherlands for coma patients and it only takes patients under the age of 25. The Prince is 43.

“Brains develop until one is 25. After then there is no further renewal of the brain cells,” Vincent Buitendijk, director of the Libra care group in Tilburg, told the ANP news agency.

There is no facility for older coma patients because there is no health insurance to cover them, said Buitendijk. He said there could be an exception made, but limited government funding means it would be for only a short duration.

The Dutch Royal Family (at right, Prince Constantijn, Queen Beatrix, her sister Margriet Van Vollenhoven, his wife Princess Mabel and Prince Willlem-Alexander) have begun the process of how to ensure long-term care for the father of two young daughters. It has been speculated that the Prince would be moved from a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, to a rehabilitation clinic in the UK – where he has been living for eight years while working as a financier. Another possibility is a clinic in Liege, Belgium.

Dr. Andy Eynon, a consultant in neurosciences intensive care at Southampton Universities NHS Trust in the UK, told London’s Sunday Telegraph that it could take months to determine how well a patient with a severe brain injury might recover.

"You can't say somebody is in a persistent vegetative state until six months after an injury involving lack of oxygen to the brain, or 12 months after a trauma injury to the brain,” said Dr. Eynon.

However, doctors in Austria were not optimistic last week.

“At the moment, it can’t be predicted whether he’ll ever regain consciousness,” said Dr. Wolfgang Koller, head of the trauma unit at the Innsbruck Medical University hospital.

Friso was skiing with a companion in the Austrian resort of Lech when he was buried by an avalanche for about 25 minutes before rescue.

“Due to the length of time he was covered under the snow, his brain was deprived of oxygen,” said Dr. Koller. “This led to cardiac arrest, which lasted about 50 minutes. The patient had to be reanimated during this entire period. Fifty minutes of reanimation is a very long time, one could say, too long.”

02/26/2012

Duchess of Cambridge arrives for a visit to The Brink, an alcohol-free bar in Liverpool on Feb. 14. In the background, on the far left, is Rebecca Deacon, who is charged with making sure Kate's public appearances go smoothly. (Reuters)

Behind every royal woman is, well, another woman.

For the Duchess of Cambridge, that woman is Rebecca Deacon.

While Kate and Prince William have made it a point of personal pride to be independent and devoid of large swaths of assistants, a cold splash of reality has hit them this past year as they take on more public appearances.

They need help.

Increasingly for the Duchess -- especially with Prince William on RAF duty in the Falklands for six weeks -- that has come from Deacon (right, with the the princes' private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton).

She remains strategically and appropriately in the background on public stages, but reportedly has taken on an increasingly larger presence in Kate’s public life.

“Nobody is suggesting Becca and Kate have girlie nights in with a bottle of wine and a chick flick,” a royal source is quoted in London’s Daily Mirror. “And of course (sister) Pippa is still Kate’s closest friend.

“But Becca is more than a secretary – Kate increasingly relies on her and trusts her advice.”

She may be as close as Kate gets to actually having the traditional lady-in-waiting.

Deacon, 29, is officially called assistant private secretary, one of 11 people in the office that takes care of the business surrounding Princes William and Harry. She has been in the royals business since 2007, when she had a hand in helping William and Harry pull off the Concert for Diana.

More recently, however, her main role has been to help Kate. She was there when the couple attended ‘The War Horse’ premiere in January, and again as the Duchess went solo for visits to the National Portrait Gallery and her charities in Liverpool and Oxford.

“She is a perfect companion because she is similar in age to Kate, is very organized and has lovely manners,” one royal aide told the Mirror.

“She knows when to stand back and let Kate meet the public and when to step forward and introduce herself.”

Kate chooses her own wardrobe, but Deacon is there to help with her hair and makeup, hold flowers and purses, make introductions, help Kate with research ... in short, pick up on any and all details in the public arena that may otherwise distract Kate from being Royal Kate.

Educated in private schools and an English graduate from Newcastle University, Deacon slid seamlessly into William and Harry's life with her organizational abilities, especially as they took on more work with charities.

When Kate entered the picture upon her engagement to Prince William, it was a seamless shift to have Deacon lend a hand with the newbie royal.

"(William) wants to surround Kate with people she can trust," said a source. “This has always been important to him, but even more so as they look to have ­children."

The Duchess of Cambridge waves to her fans at Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford on Feb. 21. Walking behind her on the left is her assistant, Rebecca Deacon. (Getty Images)

02/24/2012

The Netherlands' Prince Friso is seen here with his wife Princess Mabel and their daughters Luana and Zaria in the Austrian skiing resort of Lech. Doctors treating the Prince say he suffered massive brain damage after being buried by an avalanche last week and he may never regain consciousness. (AP)

Dutch Prince Johan Friso may never regain consciousness after being buried in an avalanche last week in the Austrian Alps, say doctors.

The second son of Queen Beatrix was buried under 40 centimetres of snow for about 20 minutes before rescuers dug him out and it took nearly 50 minutes to revive the prince, said Dr. Wolf Koller.

MRI scans have shown his brain suffered "massive damage'' in the avalanche.

"We cannot say today with certainty whether Prince Friso will one day regain consciousness," Dr. Koller (right), who is head of the trauma unit at Innsbruck's University Hospital, said in a Friday press conference.

"In any case, a neurological rehabilitation will be required that will take months, if not years."

Prince Friso, 43, had been on a skiing holiday in the Austrian resort of Lech with his wife, Princess Mabel, and their two daughters. The prince and three other skiers were on slopes away from the marked Lech ski runs when the avalanche occurred about midday last Friday.

Friso was buried by a snow mass that measured about 30 x 40 metres when it hit him and a companion, Florian Moosbrugger.

Moosbrugger, wearing a special air bag designed to lift skiers above the snow, was able to free himself quickly and call for help. The prince was wearing a transceiver, helping rescue crews to find him.

Dr. Koller said the prince's brain had been deprived of oxygen, resulting in a heart attack that lasted 50 minutes.

"Fifty minutes of reanimation is very, very long, one might even say too long," said the doctor. "Our hope was that the patient's mild hypothermia would provide some protection for the brain. This hope was not realized."

The prince will be moved to a private clinic at some point for further treatment, but doctors warned he may never waken from his coma.

The Prince's family appealed for the media to respect their privacy, saying in a statement they "need space to learn how to deal with Prince Friso's health situation and to adjust their lives to it."

The family, including the Queen, his wife Mabel (right) and his brothers Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Prince Constantijn, have been keeping vigil at the hospital all week.

The Dutch royal family regularly spends skiing holidays in Lech, in the western Vorarlberg province of Austria. It has been a popular spot over the years for celebrities and royals from around Europe.

Moosbrugger, owner of the hotel where the royal family stays, has been questioned by police seeking to establish which of the skiers went down the slope first, and how the avalanche began.

Moosbrugger could reportedly face charges of "unintentional grievous bodily harm in particularly dangerous circumstances", but he said he is innocent.

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte has phoned the Queen and Princess Mabel, telling them “the Netherlands is sympathizing intensely with the family in these times of concern and sorrow.”

Prince Friso gave up his right to the Dutch throne when he married Mabel Wisse Smit in 2004. She was a commoner who, it was revealed, had links to mobster Klaas Bruinsma, who was shot and killed in 1991 in Amsterdam.

Once her past was uncovered, the couple decided to not get official permission for their marriage, although their royal titles were not affected.

The prince has a degree in mechanical engineering and lives in London with his wife and two daughters: Luana, 6, and Zaria, 5.

He works for URENCO, a uranium enrichment company, as chief financial officer. Previously, he was with the investment bank Goldman Sachs.

There is no way out of this ... the eyes were definitely looking for some Danish treat.

The man with the wandering eye is Pentti Arajarvi, the husband of Finland's president, Tarja Halonen. During a state banquet hosted last month by Queen Margrethe in Copenhagen, Arajarvi was seated next to Denmark's Princess Mary.

Seemingly unaware that cameras were rolling, he let his admiring gaze wander southward to the Princess's breasts. When she turned to look at him, he quickly tries to recover by shifting his eyes to an examination of the ceiling tiles.

Too late ... it is obvious from her body language that Mary -- the 40-year-old married mother of four -- knew exactly what was going on. She deftly adjusts her dress to make any future spying into that territory more difficult.

The video, of course, is making the rounds of every royal blooper reel. It hasn't done much for relations between Denmark and Finland either (we're sure wars have probably been started over less).

The Sun in London tried to give Arajarvi, 63, some thread of dignity: “In his defense, he may have simply been admiring Princess Mary’s necklace.”

Nice try.

SWEDEN WELCOMES ESTELLE TO ROYAL HOUSE

The first child of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, born Thursday, has been named Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary.

If that's a mouthful, try adding her royal title: Duchess of Ostergotland.

The royal couple's daughter -- weighing in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces -- becomes second in line to the throne behind her mother.

King Carl XVI Gustaf announced the child's name, but didn't explain how the name was chosen. Estelle, which has a French origin, was the name of the wife of the king's godfather, Count Folke Bernadotte. Silvia is the name of Victoria's mother and Ewa is Daniel's mother's name.

"We have now been given a little Princess Estelle in Sweden and we are all, particularly me and the family, very, very happy and joyful for that," he said.

Victoria and Daniel, who were married in June 2010, returned to their palace home not long after the birth in Stockholm, posing briefly with the new arrival (right).

02/23/2012

If you are lucky enough to be a graduate of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland -- say, Class of 2005 -- it might be wise to check through all those old notebooks and boxes of junk from those days of yore.

You never know if might have had a brush, intentional or not, with the Duke or Duchess of Cambridge. And that can mean some serious cash.

When the BBC’s venerable “Antiques Roadshow” turned up in St. Andrews, one of the university’s secretaries brought in a couple of programs from that now-famous charity fashion show when Kate modeled a see-through dress (right) on the catwalk in 2002.

The moment has since become part of the couple’s lore, with a bug-eyed William apparently proclaiming “Kate’s hot!” -- as if he’d set eyes on her for the first time, even though they’d been flatmates.

The moment apparently put William into some kind of forgetful bliss, because he walked out of the hall that night and left his program of the evening’s entertainment on the table.

“I took it before everything was cleared away,” Barbara Lessels, a secretary at the university, told the show’s host, Fiona Bruce.

“What’s more, it had his thumbprint on it!”

Ten years later, Lessels brought it to “Antiques Roadshow” for an appraisal. Bruce called her find “fantastic” before a value of 500 pounds -- $785 Canadian – was placed on it.

Not bad for a little tidying and some quick thinking.

Of course, the star piece of memorabilia from that fashion show was Kate’s sheer creation, which was made by then-fashion student Charlotte Todd for about $45. It sold last year at auction for about $125,000.

It’s one in a long line of merchandise which has somehow been cast as important to the timeline of Kate and William’s romance, and made into valuable property.

Remember, a few months after the royal wedding, Kate’s old car showed up on eBay. The 2001 Volkswagen Golf with 104,000 km drew a top bid of $74,500, more than 10 times its market value. Still, that wasn’t enough to pry it from the hands of owner Sonny Brazil, who acquired the car in from his father’s dealership in 2009.

Then there’s Princess Beatrice’s ugly hat (left) she wore to the royal wedding. The Philip Treacy creation became the most mocked item of the day, but quickly turned into a valuable asset.

It earned $128,000 when it was put up for eBay auction in aid of the princess’s charities.

The moral of the story -- never underestimate the royal touch.

And in this, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year, the price of royal memorabilia is expected to rise. Even after 60 years, and the Queen’s fingerprints on many, many items, her handiwork still commands respect. A personally-signed Christmas card -- and she sends out hundreds each year -- can run over $1,000. A thank-you note can top $7,500.

A Valentine’s card from the late Princess Diana to a former valet was expected to fetch more than $12,000 at auction.

The market for Kate and William can only go up. We know what ‘The Kate Effect’ has done for the fashion industry when she wears a new outfit.

02/22/2012

The animal-rights group is most often sniping with the Royal Family, chiding it for promoting things pheasant hunting, or -- in the case of Kate and William last summer -- attending the Calgary Stampede, where horses have been known to die in competition.

PETA was talking about the royals again this week, but this time it was to defend Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge against statements by the International Fur Trade Federation.

The fur flap began with a picture of Kate back in London after she and her family (including Prince William) had returned from a vacation in Mustique. The photo showed her wearing what appeared to be a fur-lined coat.

The IFTF, quick to seize an opportunity to promote their product (they regularly show off pix of fur-clad celebs) posted the picture on their Facebook page (right), noting the “a classy fur-lined coat with an urban twist.”

Enter PETA, which wastes no time in wagging its finger at celebrities sporting anything fur-ish. Seeking clarification on the Duchess’s outerwear they contacted her office, who told her that the coat contained no real fur.

So, the Duchess was off the hook. But not the IFTF.

PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk turned her sights on the fur federation, sending a letter to IFTF boss Mark Oaten, threatening legal action unless the photo be removed and a retraction be published.

"To state that the Duchess is wearing fur is not only false but offensive,” she said in the letter to Oaten, a former British MP. “To portray the new Duchess wearing something so blatantly cruel and contrary to her country's values is insulting."

The letter goes on with its spanking: “For future reference, you may note that we have good reason to believe that The Duchess of Cambridge never wears real fur: This coat is the only furry-looking garment she has been spotted in since becoming a member of the Royal Family, and her office's very encouraging response to our letter indicates that Her Royal Highness may now have joined the growing list of public figures and style icons who never wear fur, including Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.”

There has been no official response from Oaten, though the offending post has disappeared from the Facebook page and this apology was posted: "The photograph of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge was removed from our Facebook page as soon a we were made aware that the coat she was wearing was lined with fake fur."

Still, we’re betting it’ll be a while before Kate wears that coat again.

02/21/2012

The Duchess of Cambridge watches 7-year-old Jaydn Proffitt paint during a visit to the Art Room facilities at Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford, southern England on Tuesday. (Reuters)

The Duchess of Cambridge is taking full advantage of Prince William's time in the Falklands, establishing her own identity with appearances for her personal charities.

On Tuesday, it was The Art Room, a program that uses art therapy to help disadvantaged children, prompting visits to two schools in Oxford. The innonvative program is a natural extension of the Duchess's interests in all things artistic, having a degree in art history and also being patron for the National Portrait Gallery in London.

As a bonus on this trip, another identity was also discovered: Kate revealed that the name of her new cocker spaniel puppy -- which has remained a mystery since the dog appeared in January -- is Lupo. The name is Italian for 'wolf.' "There is no significance in it apart from they liked the name," said a royal aide.

For the fashion watchers, Kate wore a dress by Irish designer Orla Kiely, described as a Birdie Wool Jacquard shirt dress (recently on sale at $260). Don't bother looking to hard to buy one, though -- it has already sold out on Kiely's website. Her brown boots by Aquatalia go for about $400.

At Rose Hill, the Duchess wore an apron embroidered with 'Miss Catherine' and watched a group of children in art class. Half of the 340 pupils in the school have special needs and The Art Room is charged with increasing their self-esteem and independence.

She spent two hours at Rose Hill Primary as children painted characters from Edward Lear's poem 'The Owl and the Pussycat.'

It was here where Lupo's name first emerged. A report in the Telegraph said one of the students, knowing the Duchess had acquired a pooch, handed Kate a stuffed dog. "Why don't we call it after my dog?" she said. "He's called Lupo."

Later, Kate visited Oxford Spires Academy, a secondary school with an Art Room, where several of the students showed the Duchess their handiwork as she toured the facilities.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge speaks with some of the many children assembled for her arrival at the Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford, southern England on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Kate waves to the children waving their flags at Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford. Getty Images)

The Duchess of Cambridge speaks with school children at Rose Hill Primary Schoo. (AFP/Getty Images)

The Duchess meets children as she does a little walkabout at Rose Hill Primary School. (AP)

Eleanor Oxendale, 12, presents Kate with artwork and flowers as she arrives at Oxford Spires Academy School in Oxford. (Reuters)

02/17/2012

This photo was taken a year ago showing Dutch Prince Frisoand Princess Mabel together with their daughters Luana and Zaria in the western Austrian ski resort of Lech, where the prince was buried under an avalanche on Friday. (Frank van Beek/AFP/Getty Images)

Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlands is in a coma and remained in critical condition Monday, three days after he was buried by an avalanche in the Austrian resort of Lech.

The second son of Queen Beatrix was buried under 40 centimetres of snow for about 20 minutes before he was pulled from the snow and resuscitated. The 43-year-old father of two has no external injuries, but suffered "respiratory distress," a neurosurgeon told the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad.

Oxygen deprivation can result in brain damage, but doctors said early CT scans do not show swelling or pressure from blood vessels.

"The health condition of his royal majesty Prince Friso remains unchanged," at the intensive care unit of the Innsbruck University Hospital, the Royal Dutch House said in a statement. "He is stable, but not out of danger." The statement added that a prognosis would most likely "not be given before the end of this week."

Queen Beatrix and Friso's wife, Princess Mabel, have been at the hospital most of the time since the accident. They are staying at a nearby hotel along with the Prince's two daughters, Luana, 6, and Zaria, 5. His brothers, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Maxima, and Prince Constantijn with his wife Princess Laurentien, flew into the resort town Friday night.

Several members of the Dutch royal family had been on holiday together in Lech in the western Austrian Alps, which has been a popular spot over the years for celebrities and royals from around Europe.

Stefan Jochum, a spokesman for the resort, said the prince and three other skiers were on slopes away from the marked Lech ski runs when the avalanche occurred (right, site of the avalanche). The prince was the only member of the party to be injured.

Lech Mayor Ludwig Muxel told the Austria Press Agency that Friso was buried for about 20 minutes by a snow mass that measured about 30 x 40 metres when it hit him and a companion.

One tourism official said the companion, wearing a special air bag designed to lift skiers above the snow, was able to free himself quickly and call for help. The prince was wearing a transceiver, helping rescue crews to find him.

According to an Austrian newspaper, the region had several heavy snowfalls in recent days and had posted an avalanche warning of four out of a maximum of five on Friday, advising skiers not to venture onto the slopes.

Prince Friso gave up his right to the Dutch throne when he married Mabel Wisse Smit in 2004. She was a commoner who, it was revealed, had links to mobster Klaas Bruinsma, who was shot and killed in 1991 in Amsterdam.

Once her past was uncovered, the couple decided to not get official permission for their marriage, although their royal titles were not affected.

The prince has an degree in mechanical engineering and lives in London with his family.

He works for URENCO, a uranium enrichment company, as chief financial officer. Previously, he was with the investment bank Goldman Sachs.

Members of the Dutch royal family pose during a photocall in the Austrian ski resort of Lech am Arlberg in February 2011. Left to right, rear, are Prince Constantijn, Princess Laurentien, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Princess Maxima, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess Mabel Wisse Smit, Prince Johan Frisco and Princess Leonore. Front row, left to right, are Princess Eloise, Prince Claus-Casimir, Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia, Princess Ariane and Countess Luana and Zaria. (Reuters)

A general view of the Gasthaus Post hotel on Friday where the Dutch royal family are staying during their skiing holiday in Lech. The Dutch royal family often spends winter holidays in Lech in the west Austrian province of Vorarlberg -- which like other parts of Austria has been blanketed with heavy snow in recent weeks. The resort is also a favourite of the British Royal Family. (Reuters)

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